The MegaUpload raid is still a major point of contention. When the site was taken down and founder Kim Dotcom arrested, it was said that the raid made on his sprawling mansion was excessive to the point of lunacy. Officers with semiautomatic rifles and police helicopters were likely not needed for such an operation, even if he were the piracy kingpin groups like the RIAA or MPAA claimed. This broadcast from 3 News has revealed footage of the raid from the police helicopter’s point of view.
The video more or less confirms exactly what everyone had always thought about the raid. The helicopter begins by flying in and dropping off a group of commandos before returning to the sky. The broadcast notes that this tactic was supposedly employed because ground troops would be stopped at the gates, and yet the camera catches vans pouring in not long after the helicopters lifts back off the ground.
The excessive force on display continues as the video showcases armed men on the roof, several men rushing to the house, and even a canine unit being brought in. The broadcast cuts back to courtroom footage where a New Zealand officer admits that Dotcom was considered a low risk target, so they didn’t wear tactical armor. “Low risk” apparently requires tactical teams but not tactical armor, interestingly enough.
Given that the raid had been previously ruled illegal, more of the footage is liable to surface as time goes on. Anything even the least bit unnecessary in those videos could serve to further Dotcom’s accusations that the raid, and the methods used therein, were uncalled for at the time. Ultimately, the question is whether we really need two police helicopters and a tactical team to enforce copyright infringement.
(YouTube via 3 News, Hacker News)
- The feds took MegaUpload down swiftly and arrested Dotcom
- The warrant used was actually ruled illegal, however
- The judge in the case stepped down over bias accusations
